The heron is one of nature’s most beautiful sights.  It stands tall and elegant with a striking colour pattern, and in flight looks like it has the wings of an eagle.  As a fisherman, it has great skill - hours of perfectly still patience followed by stabbing its prey in a flash with a snap of the neck.

However, that is in a natural setting.  When a heron visits a goldfish pond, it doesn’t need any patience.  There is crystal clear water with brightly coloured goldfish that can be picked off at will.  No need to wait for a fish that is the same colour as the murky water it is swimming in.

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The shubunkin has one of the most striking colour patterns of any goldfish variety.  There is a lot of variation but the base colour is blue, violet and/or pearl with patches and speckles of orange, gold, red, white, black, grey and/or brown.

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Before reading this post, it would be advisable to read “A Closer Look at Ick - Part 1 (The Life Cycle)”. Several of the terms and concepts mentioned there will be referred to in this post.

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Ick (also known as ich) is short for ichthyophthiriasis and is caused by a parasite called Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. This organism is a protozoan, which is a general term for single-celled animals. Although it is only made up of a single cell, it has many features that make it extremely good at what is does. In fact, ick is so successful it has become the most common disease of captive goldfish, and is responsible for more goldfish deaths than any other disease.

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Putting other coldwater fish in with goldfish is not just a matter of going to the petshop, buying anything that can survive in coldwater and putting it in with goldfish.  A whole world of problems is just around the corner for those who think it’s anything other than advanced goldfish keeping.

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